Shahid arrested on child sexual abuse allegations

The former Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) president and former Foreign Minister, Abdulla Shahid, has been arrested on Monday night on child sexual abuse allegations.

In a statement, the Police confirmed that Shahid was arrested under a court warrant at 21:59 tonight on suspicion of sexually abusing a minor under the age of 18.

Abdulla Shahid is a prominent Maldivian politician whose career spans more than 40 years in foreign policy, legislative governance and international leadership.

Shahid began his public service career at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1984. In 1993, he was appointed Head of the International Organisations and Conferences Department. During the early 1990s, he also served as Executive Secretary and adviser to President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom. In 2000, he was elected to the Parliament as the member for Vaavu Atoll and participated in the Special Majlis responsible for drafting the current Maldivian Constitution. Following the country’s first multi-party elections, he was elected as the 16th Speaker of the Parliament, serving from 2009 to 2014.

He has served two terms as the Foreign Minister: first under President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom’s administration from 2007 to 2008, and later under President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih’s administration from 2018 to 2023.

Shahid also gained international recognition in June 2021 when he was elected President of the 76th Session of the United Nations General Assembly. In domestic politics, he joined the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) in 2013 and became the party’s president in February 2024. He resigned from the party presidency in August 2026 to contest the MDP presidential primary for the 2028 presidential election.